The Wonderful World of Food PDF

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Jeff Lodge UNIV 200 09/10/2018 The Wonderful World of Food

The purpose of the Unit 1 assignment is to choose a research topic and explain why it fits your choice. The topic that I chose was food, mainly because it is a topic that everyone can understand. There were multiple topics that I was interested in, including genetic editing, homelessness, and food. I first thought about genetic engineering when I read about a little girl named Lyla, who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Her parents had the option of sending her through an genetic engineering operation. Lyla went through the operation, but she now has to live with a suppressed immune system. This interested me because Laya now has to live with a suppressed immune system for the rest of her life. How does this affect Lyla rights? How would this affect her education and relationships in the future? I did not choose this topic because even though genetic engineering will prevent diseases, mutations and natural selection will always occur. The second topic that interested me was homelessness. I was walking through the VCU campus and I saw at least twelve homeless people. When they asked me for money, I simply said, “I’m sorry, I don’t have any”. I felt really bad, but I had a reason. If I gave money to every homeless person, I would not have any for myself. That made me wonder; could I ever survive homelessness? I have been fortunate enough to have parents who support me; who gave me Phan 1

clothing and food. How did these people become homeless? Did they become homeless because of their own actions, or by something they could not control? How did they have enough to eat every day? I decided not to do homelessness because it is a topic that no one understands. Only the homeless people would understand what the conditions are like. After thinking about genetic engineering and homelessness, I finally decided on the topic of food. I believe that food is a universal topic. Everywhere you go in the world, every culture has their district dishes. When people think about America, they think about hotdogs and hamburgers. When people think about Mexico, they think about tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. In Asia, fried rice, sushi, and noodles comes to mind. All different countries have their traditional dishes. Even if someone would argue that they ‘hate” a certain type of food, everyone has to have some sort of “their favorite food”. Food has many advantages and disadvantages, but everyone needs food in order to survive. The topic of food is the best for me because I love the holiday of Thanksgiving, food influences obesity, and we waste so much food. To begin with, the topic of food is the best for me because I love how the food at Thanksgiving brings my family together.  Every fourth Thursday of November, thousands of people across America are preparing for their Thanksgiving dinners. Thousands of turkeys are being stuffed, thousands of potatoes are being smashed, and thousands of casseroles are being made. Pies are being baked, including apple, pumpkin, cherry, and so many varieties of pie. We sit around the table to say grace, and then we stuff ourselves until everyone has round bellies. In my family, we always celebrate Thanksgiving on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I love our Thanksgiving Wednesday because it gives my family time to bond with each other before the real Thanksgiving. When everyone arrives, they bring food that they have already Phan 2

prepared. Every year, my family members bring egg rolls, spring rolls, various types of Vietnamese noodles, soups, and desserts as side dishes. I remember how my cousins and I tried to steal some of the food before our Thanksgiving, but we were all caught. The food always smelled and looked good, so we had a valid reason. We were then forced to help prepare the cooking. I didn’t mind at all since one of my favorite hobbies was cooking. I always learn new recipes from my family members. While the foods were cooking, we would all play in the backyard and make fun of everyone singing karaoke inside. It was so loud that we couldn’t miss every off notes sung by my uncle. By dinner time, we all sit in a circle around the table. We bless the food, say grace, and begin eating the traditional Vietnamese dishes, the lobsters, and all of the delicious desserts. On the day after, we are all invited to a family friend’s house, where we have the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Moreover, food is a good topic for me because food influences obesity. During the summer, I worked as a lifeguard at many different pools. Even though there are so many kids from different backgrounds, I noticed that many kids are overweight. It made me wonder; how are kids overweight if they swim at the pool every day? While watching the pool, I noticed that my eyes were watching the kids while they were eating lunch. One kid ordered four slices of pepperoni, three slices of cheese, two hot dogs, a side of fries, and nachos. I thought that this kid was going to share with his other siblings, but I was wrong. I observed him eat all of the food. The kid, who looked like he was thirteen year of age, ate all four slices of pepperoni, three slices of cheese, two hot dogs, and a side of fries. I understand that food is not the only factor leading to obesity, but I noticed that there were overweight kids everywhere I go.

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I remember coming into my old elementary school to eat lunch with my little sister. That day, she was really happy because she got to sit at the “cool” table; the table where all the parents sat at to eat lunch with their kids. My sister opened up her lunch box to a chicken sandwich, grapes, and celery. At that time, I remember thinking her hunch was too healthy. Now, I remember that every kid around us had a lunch consisting of chips, cookies, and some sort of sandwich. I remembered how my lunch in elementary and middle school consisted of snacks and only snacks. I remembered how I became 187 pounds as a four foot eleven inch girl. I understand that not everyone has access to healthy foods, but does the type of food influence obesity? Furthermore, food is a good topic for me because our country wastes so much food. Remembering how I was an overweight child, I always remember to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. I would walk down the aisles to fill my cart with bananas, strawberries, celery, tomatoes, and so many more fresh foods. I would come home, put them in the fridge, and carry on with my daily routine. A few days later, all of my fruits and vegetables have gone bad. I only ate three fourths of my fresh produce and have to end up throwing it away. I would always feel guilty about it. After I noticed a kid eating multiple slices of pizza, hotdogs, and fries, I noticed that I was watching people’s eating habits while watching the pool. At the rich country club I worked at, I noticed a little boy take a slice of a pepperoni pizza and throw it away. I tried to understand why he threw it away after one bite. Maybe he was full? Maybe he felt like he was going to throw up? As I switched to the adult pool. I noticed a man yelling at a server for getting him the wrong order of fries. Finally, he threw away the fries and yelled, “I ordered seasoned fries and Phan 4

you brought me regular fries!”. After my shift was over, all of the international workers went through the trash to find the untouched food. That made me wonder; what is the value of food in our society? The next generations might grow rounder, instead of taller, depending on the types of foods they eat. Some people are fortunate enough to throw away food if they do not want it, but some are starving every day because they do not have enough to eat. Thanksgiving is a privilege, and some people spend their Thanksgiving with hunger. Food is a simple concept, and it may be overlooked by some people. No matter how fortunate we all, food affects us if we like it or not.

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